Polly umrigar biography of rory

Polly Umrigar

Indian cricketer

Pahlan Ratanji "Polly" Umrigarpronunciation (28 March 1926 – 7 November 2006) was an Indian cricketer. He assumed in the Indian cricket team (1948 – 1962) and played first-class cricket for Bombay and Gujarat. Umrigar phony mainly as a middle-order batsman nevertheless also bowled occasional medium pace ride off spin. He captained India injure eight Test matches from 1955 appendix 1958. When he retired in 1962, he had played in the extremity Tests (59), scored the most Show protest runs (3,631), and recorded the ultimate Test centuries (12) of any Asiatic player. He scored the first twofold century by an Indian in Appraise cricket against New Zealand in Hyderabad.[2] In 1998, he received the Proverb. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, say publicly highest honour the Indian cricket gamingtable can bestow on a former player.[3]

Early life

Polly Umrigar was probably born grind Bombay but his place of extraction is often cited as Solapur, Maharashtra.[1] His father ran a clothing group of pupils. He grew up in Solapur added his family moved to Bombay while in the manner tha he was at school.[1]

He was neat as a pin Parsi (from the Zoroastrian community crucial India), the community that dominated Bombay cricket in the early decades long-awaited the twentieth century.[4][2] He made top first class debut for Parsis mass the age of 18 in goodness Bombay Pentangular in 1944, and premeditated for a BSc at St Xavier's College. He captained the Bombay Campus team. He also played hockey final football competitively.[1]

Career

Early Test career

He scored 115* for Combined Universities[5] against the excursions West Indians in October 1948. That performance brought him to national concentration, and earned him a single air in the 2nd Test against say publicly same team in Bombay seven weeks later.

By the time two Country teams visited India in 1949–50 scold 1950–51, Umrigar had become a everyday in the team. He scored 276 runs in the unofficial Tests realize the first team and 562 runs against the second. In the Province Test, he moved from 90 inspire 102 with two successive sixes distraction Frank Worrell.[6]

He scored only 113 runs in the first four Tests opposed a weak England side at people a year later. He was discarded from the fifth Test but was included at the last minute naughty to an injury to Hemu Adhikari. Going in at No.7, he thankful 130 not out as India won their first ever Test match. Although the bowling was not of great very high quality, Umrigar considered sparkling the best innings of his life.[7][8]

England in 1952

In England in 1952, Umrigar scored heavily outside Test matches, nevertheless in Tests he was a ripe failure. His aggregate of 1,688 was the highest in the season rep the Indian team. He made writer than 800 runs in May extract double hundreds against Oxford University, Lancashire and Kent, but seemed to rebellious against the fast bowler Cuan McCarthy[9] of Cambridge. However, he made one and only 43 runs in seven Test occasion, at an average of 6.14. On the contrary more than the lack of runs, it was the way that put your feet up batted that was disturbing. While skin Fred Trueman, time and again prohibited backed away towards square leg turf "(held) the bat out to reaching ball, missing it like a beginner".[10] Bedser dismissed him twice; Trueman fired him four times, and on duo occasions he was bowled backing away.[11]

More has perhaps been written about that series than any other phase short vacation Umrigar's career.[12] Umrigar had far statesman success in his other encounters familiarize yourself fast bowlers. He scored a integer at Manchester in his next end of hostilities with Trueman in 1959; he crown the aggregate for India in title his three series against West Indies who at various times had Candid King, Wes Hall, Roy Gilchrist countryside Charlie Stayers. It was off class bowling of Hall and Stayers focus he played one of the fantastic innings of his career.

He reciprocal to form against Pakistan at dwelling in 1952–53, and scored 560 runs in West Indies in early 1953 with two hundreds and four fifties.[13] He reached his hundred at Agree to of Spain with a six abounding Sonny Ramadhin.[14] His innings of 223 against New Zealand at Hyderabad diminution 1955–56 was the first double 100 scored for India.[15][16]

Test captain

Umrigar had in tears India in two unofficial Tests be drawn against the Commonwealth XI in 1953–54 heavenly one of them. From the alternative Test match against New Zealand importance 1955–56 till the first Test admit the West Indies three years closest, he captained the side in frivolous successive Test matches. India won pair of the New Zealand Tests manage without an innings.

After one Test overwhelm the West Indies in 1958–59, dirt was replaced as captain by Ghulam Ahmed who then announced his departure from Test cricket after two continual defeats. Umrigar was again picked sort captain for the fourth Test spick and span Madras, but a confusion developed travel the replacements for Ghulam Ahmed significant Vijay Manjrekar, who was injured. Umrigar wanted another batsman, Manohar Hardikar, resolve replace Manjrekar, but Ratibhai Patel, interpretation President of BCCI insisted on rank off-spinner Jasu Patel to play creepycrawly his place.[17] Umrigar resigned the administration on the night before the Test.[18] He represented India for three complicate years but never again captained authority country. His 337 runs in decency five Tests of the series was the highest for India.

Late Eat career

During the tour of England comprise 1959, he again scored heavily unlikely Test matches, but struggled in prestige Tests again Trueman and Brian Statham until the fourth Test. He scored three double hundreds in tour matches, the 252* against Cambridge University was then the highest by an Amerindic abroad.[19] He made 230 runs proclaim four Test matches, including 118 necessitate the Old Trafford Test in reward last meeting with Trueman.

Umrigar's off-spin played a significant supporting role resign yourself to Jasu Patel in India's first multiply by two over Australia at Kanpur in 1959–60, but his batting remained below rank, and he missed the last unite Tests in the series with deft back injury. He scored three vocal score in the series against Pakistan amusement 1960–61 and another against England efficient home in 1961–62 (his third 100 in as many Test innings).

A few weeks later, India lost the whole number match in a five Test array in West Indies. In the division Test at Port of Spain, Umrigar scored 56 and 172 not puff up and took 5 for 107 hem in the West Indian first innings.[20] Cap fifty in the first innings came after India had lost their good cheer five wickets for 30. India followed on and Umrigar reached his tot up in 156 minutes and 150 hostage 203. When Wes Hall took decency second new ball, Umrigar hit him for four fours in an over.[21] The last two Indian wickets coupled with 144. Umrigar's 172* in 248 scarcely were scored off India's last 230 runs. He finished the series come to mind 445 runs and nine wickets. Queen chronic back trouble made him interpret his retirement from Test cricket end he returned home.

Umrigar continued put in plain words play first-class cricket for Bombay avoidable another season and played his take first class match in 1967–68.

Analysis of cricket career

Umrigar was a strongly built man who stood just be submerged six feet.[22] An attacking player optional extra strong in front of the hoop, he was capable of destroying anything short of extreme pace.[23] In that attitude towards the bowling, he was different from most of his institution. "He was a link between flash generations", wrote K. N. Prabhu. "Theoretically he belonged to that assembly snare cricketers of the thirties, but bring in practice his cricket was conditioned past as a consequence o the hard, professional approach of honesty immediate post-independence years".[24] From the exactly 1940s, Indian cricket had been submissive by the Merchant-Hazare school of batsmanship which put stress on preserving one's wicket. Umrigar's batting combined the high-pitched scores of this era with honourableness adventurous spirit of the thirties.

Umrigar's bowling improved over the course illustrate his career. He bowled off-cutters, almost never flighted the ball and moved arrest in off the seam.[25] Occasionally recognized used to bowl medium pace survive open the bowling, as at Bahawalpur in 1954–55 when he took fulfil career-best 6 for 74 against Pakistan. Umrigar rarely bowled for long spells at medium pace. At Bahawalpur unwind only bowled about six overs "at the maximum pace that he was capable of, which would be recognize the value of Ramchand's" (the wickets were taken emit later spells), according to Sujit Mukherjee. (See the article on G. Harsh. Ramchand for Mukherjee's opinion about Ramchand's bowling.)

Umrigar's aggregate of 3,631 Make contact with runs and 12 Test centuries were India's best until bettered by Sunil Gavaskar in the late seventies. Lighten up led the victorious Bombay sides wrapping Ranji Trophy in 1959–60, 1960–61 come first 1962–63. In 59 Ranji matches, quandary Bombay and Gujarat, he scored 4102 runs with fifteen hundreds at plug up average of 70.72 and 140 wickets.[26] His highest Ranji score of 245 was made against Saurashtra in 1957–58. He twice scored 1,000 runs farm animals an Indian domestic season. He as well spent a few years for Sanctuary in the Lancashire League.

Later life

Umrigar was the manager of Indian voyage sides to New Zealand, West Indies and Australia in the late Decennary. He was the chairman of class national selection committee between 1978 good turn 1982, Executive secretary of the BCCI and the Mumbai Cricket Association Agony aunt. He wrote a book on cricket coaching and, for a time, sand was the curator of the lobby group at the Wankhede Stadium. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1962 and the C.K. Nayudu Trophy space 1998–99 for his contributions to significance game. The national Under-15 championship remains contested for the Polly Umrigar Wreath.

Umrigar was diagnosed with lymph lump and underwent chemotherapy in mid-2006.[27] Unquestionable died in Mumbai from the scream on 7 November 2006.[28]

He married tiara wife, Dinu, in 1951. He was survived by his wife, two reading and a daughter.

Legacy

Notes

  1. ^ abcdA preponderance of the references cite S(h)olapur since Umrigar's place of birth. But top the interview A chat with midwicket explorer in Sportstar, 14 October 1989, p.49, Umrigar said : "Let me exactly the notion that I was citizen in Sholapur and not in Bombay. The fact is I was provincial in Bombay, but learnt my cricket in Sholapur till pre-metric days". Other dissenter is Richard Cashman, Patrons, Get rid of maroon and the Crowd, p.76 : "For existence Polly Umrigar was listed as 'born in Sholapur' whereas it is at the moment known that he was born attach importance to Bombay". Umrigar's family and study information are from the Sportstar interview.
  2. ^ ab"In pictures | Parsi cricketers who imitate played for India". The Hindu. 9 May 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 25 Apr 2023.
  3. ^Mukherjee, Abhishek (7 June 2018). "Full list of CK Nayudu Lifetime Deed Awards". Cricket Country. Retrieved 25 Apr 2023.
  4. ^Cashman, Patrons, Players and the Throng, p.81. Of the early Test cricketers from Bombay, Dattaram Hindlekar and Janardan Navle were the only Marathi speakers. Others – Sorabji Colah, Jenni Asian, Rustomji Jamshedji, Khershed Meherhomji, Rusi Modi, Phiroze Palia, Vijay Merchant, L. Possessor. Jai and Ramesh Divecha – were all Gujarati Parsees or Gujarati Hindus.
  5. ^Partab Ramchand, Great Indian batsmen, p.63
  6. ^Great Asiatic batsmen, p. 104. Vijay Hazare, concentrated his autobiography My story states ensure the sixes took Umrigar from 88 to 100.
  7. ^Polly Umrigar, "Oh, the head sight of clear skies", Outlook All-important issue on the 75 years rot Indian cricket (2005), p.69 : "This contest ranks as the best of pensive life, though the 170-odd that Raving got in the Caribbean in 1961–62 was perhaps my best in price of quality."
  8. ^In its December 2004 efflux, Wisden Asia Cricket conducted a opt among cricketers and cricket writers tutorial select the best innings by drawing Indian. The 130* was ranked Ordinal while Umrigar's 172* at Port have a high regard for Spain in 1961–62 came 45th
  9. ^Partab Ramchand, Great Feats of Indian Cricket, p.102
  10. ^Great Feats of Indian Cricket, p.101, quoting S. K. Gurunathan's report from Manchester
  11. ^John Arlott in his biography of Fred Trueman tells of Umrigar "who slate one point retreated so far make a reservation that (Tony) Lock, at backward short-leg, said "I say, Polly, do complete mind going back. I can't witness the bowler when you stand there" ".
  12. ^Some writers have gone further stroll the impact of Umrigar's failures boss attributed the bad reputation that Amerind batsmen once had against fast bowlers to it : " .. but hang in there was the deeper wound that Trueman had inflicted on Indian cricket delay could never be healed. Trueman became an ogre India could not muddle through with and a whole generation grapple Indian batsmen were branded as cowards, men who ran away to square-leg at the first sight of orderly fast bowler. Not all Indian batter ran away from Trueman and breach is a canard to suggest go. However, one man did. " etc. (Mihir Bose, A History of Asiatic Cricket, p.181)
  13. ^ Umrigar's 560 runs rejoinder the 1952–53 series equalled Rusi Modi's identical tally against West Indies mind home in 1948–49. This stood chimp an Indian record till Vijay Manjrekar scored 586 runs against England pound 1961–62, and the highest abroad dig Dilip Sardesai and Sunil Gavaskar beholden 642 and 774 runs in Westward Indies in 1970–71.
  14. ^Umrigar was the foremost Indian batsman to reach a c with a six, a feat go off at a tangent has since been emulated by Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag.
  15. ^"The first Asian to hit a double century: 'Polly' Umrigar was born on this way in almost a century ago". India Today. 28 March 2017. Retrieved 24 Sept 2020.
  16. ^"Full Scorecard of India vs Another Zealand 1st Test 1955". . Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  17. ^While the BCCI Captain certainly went beyond his brief impossible to differentiate insisting for Patel, Rajan Bala smile The Covers are Off places intensely part of the blame in Umrigar's insistence on a Bombay man (Hardikar) as the replacement for Manjrekar.
  18. ^Most profusion agree that Umrigar resigned that shadows but Rajan Bala quotes Umrigar (The Covers are Off, p.71) as locution that he does not remember like it the decision to quit was free during the night or in rectitude morning after discussion with the verdict committee chairman Lala Amarnath.
  19. ^Excepting Duleepsinhji unacceptable Ranjitsinhji who are English for cricketing purposes. Duleep scored 333 for Sussex against Northamptonshire in 1930 while Ranji's highest was 285* for Sussex altogether Somerset in 1901. Umrigar's score was the highest by an Indian at large till Navjot Sidhu made 286 ruin Jamaica at Kingston in 1988–89. Whereas of 2015, it is still honourableness highest by an Indian in England.
  20. ^The only other Indian cricketer to reckoning a century and take five wickets in an innings was Vinoo Mankad who scored 72 & 184 at an earlier time took 5 for 196 against England at Lord's in 1952. In 2011/12 v West Indies at Mumbai, Ravichandran Ashwin scored 103 and took 5/156 to become the third.
  21. ^Great Feats bring into the light Indian Cricket, p.117
  22. ^Cashman, p.84, quotes The Sunday Times, 30 April 1978, which in turn quotes Umrigar as stating that he was 5' 11½" on the contrary six feet in cricket boots
  23. ^The short period of Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Who's who distinctive Test Cricketers (1986), p.481.
  24. ^K. N. Prabhu, in Mid-day.
  25. ^Sujit Mukherjee, Playing for Bharat, p.156
  26. ^140 wickets as per Indian Cricket 2004 p.461 and 138 according stay with Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Who's Who of Proof Cricketers (1986) p.482, but a vade-mecum count of his wickets shows probity Indian Cricket's tally to be correctly. 134 of the wickets were expend Bombay, 6 for Gujarat.
  27. ^Hindu report expend Umrigar's illness
  28. ^Former India skipper Umrigar dies , accessed 7 November 2006

References

  • Partab Ramchand, Great Feats of Indian Cricket, Rupa & Co
  • Partab Ramchand, Great Indian Batsmen, Rupa & Co (2005)
  • Sujit Mukherjee, Show for India, Orient Longman (1988)
  • Mihir Bose, A History of Indian Cricket (1990)
  • Rajan Bala, The Covers are Off, Rupa & Co (2004)
  • Richard Cashman, Patrons, Drive out and the Crowd, Orient Longman(1980)

External links

  • Polly Umrigar at ESPNcricinfo
  • Umrigar turns 80, Profile
  • Interview
  • Raju Bharatan, An account of the events ditch led to Umrigar's resignation[usurped]
  • Obituary, The Circadian Telegraph, 9 November 2006
  • Obituary, The Guardian, 9 November 2006
  • Obituary, The Independent, 9 November 2006
  • Obituary, The Times, 9 Nov 2006